Former teacher faces felony charges

A former kindergarten teacher at West Elementary School has been arrested on charges that she stole prescription drugs from a co-worker's purse and broke into another teacher's home.

Kortny Hahn Staff Writer, @khahnCDT @khahnCDT

A former kindergarten teacher at West Elementary School has been arrested on charges that she stole prescription drugs from a co-worker's purse and broke into another teacher's home.
Tammy Kay Lafrinere, 31, was arraigned Tuesday in Cheboygan County 89th District Court in connection with felony charges that include second-degree home invasion, three counts of larceny in a building and one count of attempted larceny in a building, and a high court misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance/Vicodin.
The charges carry penalties of up to 15 years in prison upon conviction.
Court documents state the alleged larceny incidents occurred between May 8-10, when Lafrinere is accused of taking 90 tablets of prescription Vicodin from a fellow teacher's purse at West Elementary School during that period.
The home invasion charge involves an incident of two months earlier, when another fellow teacher heard of the school theft and wanted to report that she and her husband had arrived home to find Lafrinere inside their locked residence. The Cheboygan Department of Public Safety investigated the complaint and were shown text messages sent to the teacher from Lafrinere apologizing for the incident.
Police later set up a telephone conversation with the teacher and recorded Lafrinere admitting to breaking into the home by using a pass card to slip the lock.
Cheboygan Superintendent of Schools Mark Dombroski confirmed Tuesday that Lafrinere's employment with Cheboygan Area Schools was terminated in the spring.
A preliminary examination is set for Sept. 4 with a pre-trial scheduled for Aug. 19.
Lafrinere is free on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.